Range expansion and reconnection of historical populations in the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) in France: Insights from heterogeneous data and integrated species distribution modelling

IF 4.4 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

Biological Conservation Pub Date : 2025-04-30 DOI:10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111179

Simon Lacombe , Sébastien Devillard , Cécile Kauffmann , Mélanie Aznar , Ondine Dupuis , Christine Fournier-Chambrillon , Estelle Isère-Laoué , Camille Fraissard , Nicolas Fuento , Tiphaine Heugas , Alexandre Martin , Magali Perrin , Antoine Roche , Thomas Ruys , Franck Simonnet , Bastien Thomas , Angélique Souriau-Villeger , Olivier Gimenez

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Many small carnivore populations are declining and urgently require evidence-based conservation. Despite their ecological importance, the spatial dynamics of small carnivores remain understudied compared to large carnivores. The Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) represents a rare example of a recovering small carnivore population in Europe, following nearly a century of decline. However, recovery remains slow in some regions, with populations still vulnerable across much of the species' range. In France, spatial and temporal heterogeneity in data availability has hindered the development of accurate, high-resolution distribution maps, limiting insights into the drivers of this recovery and the factors constraining populations.

Here, we mapped the evolution of otter distribution in France from 2009 to 2023 using an integrated species distribution model. This approach combined opportunistic occurrence data and standardized detection/non-detection data from diverse monitoring programs while accounting for non-detection and environmental variability.

Our results revealed an expanding distribution, including the reconnection of historical population cores and the emergence of active colonization fronts spanning multiple regions. While occurrence was slightly higher in salmonid-rich rivers with forested banks at broader scales, habitat preferences varied significantly at regional scales, indicating that otters are now occupying more diverse habitats.

This study demonstrates the potential of integrating heterogeneous data sources to study carnivore distributions. Our findings provide valuable insights into the status and trends of Eurasian otters in France and offer a framework for guiding effective national-scale conservation efforts.

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法国欧亚水獭（Lutra Lutra）历史种群的范围扩展和重新连接：来自异质数据和综合物种分布模型的见解

许多小型食肉动物种群数量正在下降，迫切需要循证保护。尽管它们具有重要的生态意义，但与大型食肉动物相比，小型食肉动物的空间动力学研究仍然不足。欧亚水獭（Lutra Lutra）是欧洲小型食肉动物种群在近一个世纪的衰退后恢复的一个罕见例子。然而，在一些地区，恢复仍然缓慢，在许多物种的范围内，种群仍然很脆弱。在法国，数据可用性的时空异质性阻碍了准确、高分辨率分布图的发展，限制了对这种恢复的驱动因素和限制人口因素的了解。在这里，我们使用综合物种分布模型绘制了2009年至2023年法国水獭分布的演变图。该方法结合了机会发生数据和来自不同监测项目的标准化检测/未检测数据，同时考虑了未检测和环境可变性。我们的研究结果揭示了一个不断扩大的分布，包括历史人口核心的重新连接和跨越多个地区的活跃殖民前沿的出现。虽然在更大的尺度上，在富含鲑鱼的河流中，水獭的发生率略高，但在区域尺度上，栖息地偏好存在显著差异，这表明水獭现在占据了更多样化的栖息地。这项研究显示了整合异构数据源来研究食肉动物分布的潜力。我们的研究结果为了解法国欧亚水獭的现状和趋势提供了有价值的见解，并为指导有效的国家范围的保护工作提供了框架。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Biological Conservation 环境科学-环境科学

CiteScore

10.20

自引率

3.40%

发文量

295

审稿时长

61 days

期刊介绍： Biological Conservation is an international leading journal in the discipline of conservation biology. The journal publishes articles spanning a diverse range of fields that contribute to the biological, sociological, and economic dimensions of conservation and natural resource management. The primary aim of Biological Conservation is the publication of high-quality papers that advance the science and practice of conservation, or which demonstrate the application of conservation principles for natural resource management and policy. Therefore it will be of interest to a broad international readership.